One of the most commonly used traps for mice and rats includes a flat rectangular wooden base with a pivotally mounted spring loaded bail wire which is held in a loaded condition by point contact with a wire rod engaged under a tripping device that holds the trap bait so that the bail wire is sprung when the bait is disturbed. Although this type of trap is relatively inexpensive, it is dangerous to use in places where there are small children and pets because it is so open and exposed. It is also very repulsive and unsightly when a mouse or rat is caught and killed in it. Another problem is that the open access available from all sides enables the bait to be approached from behind or otherwise inside the sweep of the bail wire for smaller mice to thus take the bait without being caught or killed. Although there are other types of traps, some of which catch rather than kill the small animal, there is always the problem of removing the mouse or rat from the trap if it is to be used again. Otherwise, the whole trap must be thrown away. In every instance there is the problem of disposal before decomposition and resulting odors occur.
While there are also poisons and dehydrating tidbits used to entice, catch and kill mice, rats, and the like, these are dangerous to have around and cause a dying mouse or rat to crawl into an inaccessable place with the same decomposition and odor problem.
Mousetraps of the enclosed type having a back wall mounted trap mechanism solve many of the above problems and are illustrated in the Kaiser U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,992,803 and of Kaiser et al 4,216,606. Both of these mousetraps have a catching member that engages the associated bail wire with a point contact during movement to and from the cocked position. Such point contact can prevent the bail wire from being effectively released for catching an animal upon actuating movement of the trap mechanism by the animal.
Other enclosed mousetraps are disclosed by: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,218,406 Jackson, 2,099,021 Landes, 2,492,957 Blair, and 2,684,553 Schroeder; and the United Kingdom Patent No. 179,305 of William Mark dated May 3, 1922. All of these enclosed mousetraps also have a bail wire that is engaged by a catching member with point contact as with the above Kaiser and Kaiser et al patents.